Q&A

NHS targets are largely a New Labour invention, many were drawn up for the party's 1997 manifesto. Hundreds more were added in the Government's drive to overhaul the health service.

Since 2000, all NHS trusts have been rated with zero, one, two or three stars to measure their progress. Health chiefs say many targets have been met and are no longer necessary. Health Secretary John Reid plans to introduce a slimmed-down set of "quality standards".

What do the targets cover?

The highest-profile targets relate to waiting times for hospital treatment - regarded as top priority. There are also targets to monitor how pledges on waiting times for cancer patients, and accident and emergency treatment, are being fulfilled.

Many aspects of healthcare other than waiting times have their own targets - for example the level of dignity patients are shown by NHS staff. Family doctors and primary healthcare workers have been given targets covering a wide range of areas, including the number of children given vaccinations and the number of women issued with contraceptives.

Why are they so controversial?

Doctors say political pressure to hit targets is influencing who is treated first when this should be determined by medical need. There have been cases of hospital managers "fiddling" patient figures to make their records look better.

Have they done any good?

Yes. Doctors agree that the major drive to speed up treatment has been successful. The overall NHS waiting list is now at its lowest for 16 years. Patients are being treated far more quickly and effectively - but this has put huge pressure on NHS staff.